Netanyahu Claims 'Serious Censorship Violation' Over UAE Trip Report

The Prime Minister's Office announced Monday that the Shin Bet has filed a complaint with the chief military censor, demanding "full legal action against a channel for a serious censorship violation." The alleged violation, according to the PMO, was the reporting of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's trip to the United Arab Emirates and his meeting with President Mohammed bin Zayed before his plane had landed back in Israel. In an unusual move, the announcement also quoted the Shin Bet and the Mossad, led by David Zini and Roman Gofman respectively, expressing strong criticism of Israeli media. The PMO released a list of participants in the visit, including Netanyahu, his wife Sara, the Mossad chief, the National Security Advisor, the Military Secretary, the head of Shin Bet security, and air and security crews. The PMO claims the Channel 12 report "endangered their lives."

The complaint focuses on the timing of the report, which was published at 9:38 PM while the plane landed at 10:27 PM. The Shin Bet stated that the "publication of the visit at the stage it was published caused a risk to the safety of the Prime Minister, the operation, and the forces in the field. Additionally, the publication of the visit and the manner in which it was conducted exposed the service's operational methods, thereby placing future operations at higher risk."

The PMO also cited a "Mossad opinion regarding the severity of the damage from the Channel 12 publication," stating, "This leak constituted a severe security threat to the safety of the Prime Minister and the delegation. We request to raise a flag and mark the publication event as a serious incident that constitutes damage to the security of the State of Israel."

Sources at Channel 12 responded that the report on the "covert visit" was political and timed dramatically before elections, against the backdrop of the controversy over the intelligence warning before the October 7th massacre. They argued that censorship should not prevent political news and that the report was aired around 10:00 PM, after the Prime Minister's plane had already landed in Israel, thus posing no danger. The report also noted that during their meeting, Netanyahu asked bin Zayed to deny reports that he had warned him before October 7th, a denial the UAE has not yet issued. The meeting also focused on the Iranian threat and U.S. efforts to form a coalition against Iran.